Tarnished Heaven, Matchbook/Exit

Baton Rouge resident Casey Mixon and his brainchild Tarnished Heaven bring some heavy metal with a gothic flair. In the past, Mr. Mixon had traveled around and played in various groups, before making that oft-dangerous decision to create entirely his own music.

Two years was the length of the break he took; he spent this time striving to locate his exact musical niche. Since finding this niche, Mixon has released two albums: 1. Matchbook, and 2. Exit. His motto is that “no two songs should sound the same.”

Does he succeed in this? Well, let’s have a listen…

The track “Exit” has almost a post-apocalyptic feel. The raspy chorus of “There’s no exit” paints a scene of despairing entrapment.

The track “Maker” is a distorted affair of brooding vocals and Black Sabbath-like guitar riffs. Be it vocal or instrumental, each note resonates in its own gloom. Same could be said for the song “Evolution.”

In the track “Not Another Word,” the vocals launch on an intense note. And these vocals can get pretty low in pitch. Is there such a thing as negative octaves?

“Red Rose” has some haunting guitar riffs that linger ghostlike in the air.

The title of the track “Project Human” sounds kinda like an X-Files episode. A fine metal guitar riff gives this piece an imposing foundation. There’s something real husky, almost Danzig-like, about the vocals.

The track “Frozen” is quite different from the others, and not just because there’re no vocals. This track is less about guitar, and more about keyboard and percussion.

Mixon says that a primary focus of his work “is about exploring all sides of human nature.” He adds that, “You can’t have light without shadows.”

Shadows galore: These songs would make a fine soundtrack to a killer’s funeral.